Further Mathematics Support Programme

Two ‘Starters’: (1) Connections Join pairs of letters with a connection that follows the printed lines but does NOT cross or touch another line.

Two ‘Starters’: (2) 0.999999 …. Which of these statements is true? 0.999 999 … > 1 0.999 999 … = 1 0.999 999 … < 1

Congratulations! ….but are you making an informed choice? Well done! You've nearly made it through over a decade of compulsory education, and from now on it’s up to you to choose what you study… ….but are you making an informed choice?

What do you want out of your future career? I want the opportunity to travel and meet interesting people I want to make LOADS OF MONEY! I want to enjoy my work

Degree Earnings Premium University graduates earn on average about a quarter more than young people who leave school after their A-levels. Average additional earnings of £160,000 over a working life. But there are very wide variations…. Source: Universities UK/ PricewaterhouseCoopers

Why you should do A-Level Maths 10 Good Reasons

It will help you in your other A-Level Subjects Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Geology Computing Geography, Psychology, Sociology PE Business Studies History Other Subjects including Further Maths! 1 All of the sciences use mathematical techniques- doing maths A level will give you a head start in these subjects. Other A levels such as the Social Sciences use statistics, so doing A-level maths will give you an advantage. Even in essay based subjects such as history, A level maths can be useful. It teaches you to think in a logical way, something which is vital when putting across a coherent logical argument. Licensed by: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/

Want to do well in your degree? Geography Psychology, Sociology Sports Science Earth Sciences Medicine Chemistry, Biology Business Mathematics Statistics Computer Science Physics Accountancy Engineering 2 The subjects in the left hand column have A-level maths as an entry requirement. Geography, Psychology, Sociology degrees will all usually have a module in mathematical techniques relating to the subject. Sports Science Degrees often have modules relating to bio mechanics which has a high content of mathematics. The sciences such as Biology, Chemistry and Earth Sciences use more and more mathematics as you progress with the subjects and A level mathematics will vastly enhance your ability to do well. Business and management degrees all use maths in areas such as accounting and financial indicators. Mathematics will help understanding in medicine, as well as enhance your application.

Mathematics A-Level is well respected by employers and admissions tutors for all degree subjects 3

Do the maths CBI forecasts that 2,400,000 people with STEM skills are needed to enter the workforce between 2004 – 2014 Using HESA projections (left) there will be around 130, 000 graduates from STEM subjects entering the workforce over this period Do the maths – that is around 20 times less than required for industry and employers 4

STEM: New technologies One of the reasons mathematics is so useful in the modern world is that the amount of technology we are using is increasing all the time. New technology relies on a lot of mathematics.

Earn more On average people who have done A level Maths earn 10% more than those who haven’t. Even those who don’t get the top grades earn 8% more. Earning potential is huge in certain areas 5 We don’t think that this should be the main reason for studying maths, but it is encouraging to know that if you do, you have a good chance of getting a comfortably paid job.

The types of Careers which lead on from Mathematics are some of the most interesting and well paid available. Finance- Actuarial Work, Accountancy, Financial Modelling, Investment Banking Computing- Games Design, Internet Security, Telecommunications Mathematical Biology- Population Modelling, Epidemics and Vaccination Engineering- Aircraft Modelling, Fluid Flows, Acoustic Engineering, Quantity Surveyor, Planner Teaching and Lecturing Statistics- Medical Statistics, Market Research, Government Statistics Business- Logistics, Traffic Planning, Project Management, Business Consultancy 6 Careers which lead on from mathematics aren’t only well paid, they are also often very interesting. People who have studied mathematics are in a fortunate position because they will have a good choice of career opportunities. This slide shows only a sample of possible careers. The main message is that you can do anything with maths.

© Ironclad Games Corporation Vancouver, BC. You would use: > 3D shapes > transformations > vectors > matrices Computer Games designers use a lot of mathematics in order to simulate real life effects such as movement, or the way light reflects from different surfaces. A lot of the mathematics involved is taught in A level maths or A level Further Maths, including transformations, vectors and matrices. © Ironclad Games Corporation Vancouver, BC.

Mathematical medicine is a fast growing area Mathematical medicine is a fast growing area. Mathematicians are needed to model the way cancers grow, or analyse the effectiveness of different treatments.

A level mathematics is compulsory for entry into an engineering degree A level mathematics is compulsory for entry into an engineering degree. There is a nationwide shortage of qualified engineers. These pictures are related to mechanical, civil and electronic engineering.

Keeping Information Safe Cracking Codes GCHQ is the government’s communication headquarters and it has the largest group of mathematicians working anywhere in the country. They are employed to find better ways of encrypting data as well as trying to decode other encrypted messages. Above is a picture of GCHQ’s headquarters as well as a picture of an enigma machine and a picture of Bletchley Park. During the war mathematicians deciphered messages which were encoded using the enigma machine, an achievement which helped win the war. Today GCHQ recruits mathematics graduates every year. There is also a lot of mathematics behind making credit cards secure or keeping information safe as it is transmitted over the internet. GCHQ: Benhall

Two ‘interludes’: (1) Randomness

Two ‘interludes’: (1) Randomness What does the word ‘Random’ mean?

Two ‘interludes’: (1) Randomness What does the word ‘Random’ mean? Are you Random?

Two ‘interludes’: (1) Randomness Pick a number between 1 and 5

Two ‘interludes’: (1) Randomness Pick a number between 1 and 5 1 2 3 4 5

Two ‘interludes’: (1) Randomness Pick a number between 1 and 5 1 2 3 4 5 Pick a number between 1 and 9

Two ‘interludes’: (1) Randomness Pick a number between 1 and 5 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Pick a number between 1 and 9

Two ‘interludes’: (2) Graphs Which Sport does this Speed-Time graph represent? speed time

Two ‘interludes’: (2) Graphs Which Sport does this Speed-Time graph represent? Sky-Diving Snooker High-Jump Angling Drag-Racing Golf Javelin 100m Sprint Pole Vaulting Water Skiing Archery or any other? speed time

A level maths gives you transferable skills for the real world Logical Skills Analytical Skills Problem Solving 7

You can get a good grade! 8 Many people do succeed at Maths A B C D E   A B C D E U Business Studies 17.9 27.7 28.3 18.0 6.5 1.6 English 22.8 26.7 16.8 5.1 0.9 Law 20.7 22.6 24.1 18.3 9.9 4.4 Mathematics 44.0 22.1 15.2 10.1 5.8 2.8 Psychology 19.3 23.8 24.6 18.6 10.3 3.4 All Subjects 25.9 24.9 23.1 15.7 7.6 8 There are many rumours which circulate regarding A level maths. Some say that it is impossibly hard or that they know lots of people who have failed it after getting good grades at GCSE. The truth is that a larger percentage of people fail law and Psychology than mathematics. We are not saying that A level maths is easy, however, if you work hard at it, then you have a good chance of doing well. Data from 2008 A-Level Results

Study Different Aspects Decision Mechanics Pure Further Maths Statistics 9 A-Level maths has modules in several different types of maths. There may be the opportunity to study mechanics, which looks at the mathematics of the real world by studying forces and equations of motion. You might also get the chance to study statistics in more depth, or a module in decision maths. Decision maths is the kind of maths which can be useful in business, studying problems such as finding the shortest route in a network. There may also be the chance to study Further Mathematics, which can offer you an extra A-Level or AS-Level in mathematics.

You need to ask yourself- WHY NOT? 10 www.mathscareers.org.uk www.moremathsgrads.org.uk www.plus.maths.org www.furthermaths.org.uk Our opinion is that mathematics gets more interesting the further you take it. At GCSE you are building the foundations so that you have the tools which will enable you to understand many interesting A-Level topics. However you will only find this out if you try it for yourself. (Learning mathematics can be a bit like a pyramid- at GCSE you are laying the foundations and are constantly moving on upwards to more interesting and challenging mathematics. However unlike a pyramid, mathematics also broadens and there is no limit to what you can learn!)

What is Further Mathematics? Further Maths: is an AS/A level qualification is designed to be studied alongside standard the standard Maths AS/A levels has content which is both broader and deeper than the standard Maths A level carries UCAS points in exactly the same way as other AS/A levels

What people say about Further Maths…. Engineering/Physics: "Take an AS in Further Maths - and be well prepared for university! The extra modules will prove invaluable for mathematics, physics or engineering." Mike Savage, Professor, Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Leeds

What people say about Further Maths…. “When students begin an engineering course with a further maths qualification, whether at A-level or AS, we find they are significantly better prepared to manage their studies.” John Morton, Chief executive: Engineering and Technology Board

What people say about Further Maths…. Demand for jobs with Science, Engineering and Technology skills is set to grow by 2.4 million by 2014 – and all these jobs require maths skills…..young people with maths qualifications will find that their degrees can open doors to exciting and rewarding careers." Susan Anderson, Director HR Policy, Confederation of British Industry

More … what people say about Further Maths Universities Professional Institutions Students www.furthermaths.org.uk

MAKE AN INFORMED CHOICE WHEN CHOOSING YOUR A LEVELS IF YOU HAVE MATHEMATICAL ABILITY – MAKE THE MOST OF IT! MAKE AN INFORMED CHOICE WHEN CHOOSING YOUR A LEVELS www.mathscareers.org.uk www.moremathsgrads.org.uk www.plus.maths.org www.furthermaths.org.uk